WASHINGTON – Grants to clean up or replace older diesel engines under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) have delivered significant health and environmental benefits to communities across America, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report released today. DERA, a bipartisan effort authorized by Congress, provides cost-effective reductions of harmful diesel pollution across the U.S. and particularly in areas where air quality is a concern.

“As this report details, the DERA program is an effective and innovative way to improve air quality across the country while providing children with safer, more reliable transportation to and from school,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Children’s health is a top priority for EPA, and DERA helps fulfill our children’s health agenda and commitment to ensure all children can live, learn, and play in healthy and clean environments.”

Nearly 10 million older diesel engines are operating throughout our transportation infrastructure with no modern emissions controls. While some of these will be retired over time, many will remain in use, polluting America’s air for the next 20 years. The DERA program provides rebates and grant funding to replace these vehicles and engines with equipment that meets or exceeds current emissions standards.

DERA has led to cleaner air across the U.S. by reducing emissions:

• 472,700 tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides.
• 15,490 tons of particulate matter (PM).
• 17,700 tons of hydrocarbon.
• 5,089,170 tons of carbon dioxide.

Since 2008, DERA has awarded $629 million in funding to replace or retrofit 67,300 legacy diesel engines. EPA estimates that reducing these harmful pollutants will lead to $19 billion in health benefits and 2,300 fewer premature deaths. EPA estimates that for every federal dollar spent, DERA projects generate between $11 and $30 in public health benefits and over $2 in fuel savings.

The DERA program works to reduce exposure and provide improved air quality in communities where air pollution is of concern, including those near ports, rail yards, and PM and ozone non-attainment areas. Sixty-four percent of projects awarded in fiscal year 2008-2016 were in areas with these air quality concerns.

The Fourth Report to Congress summarizes the program’s accomplishments from fiscal year 2008-2013 and discusses final and estimated results from funding in fiscal year 2014-2016.

For more information on DERA, contact Houston-Galveston Clean Cities Coalition or visit http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel

To access the report, visit https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-diesel-reports-congress.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy announced $50 million for new and innovative research of technologies for trucks, off-road vehicles, and the fuels that power them.  Funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), these selections highlight the DOE’s priorities in gaseous fuels research, including natural gas, biopower, and hydrogen; heavy-duty freight electrification; hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell technologies for heavy-duty applications; and energy efficient off-road vehicles.

“As the fastest growing fuel users in the United States, it is important our trucking industry has access to  advanced technologies, such as electrification and fuel cells, as a way to move goods efficiently and economically,” said Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes. “EERE has a strong track record of successful investment in the research and development of a broad portfolio of technologies, including electrification, advanced combustion engines, and fuels such as natural gas, hydrogen, and biofuels, that can significantly improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of transportation energy. These selections reinforce DOE’s commitment to sustainable transportation options.”

Economic growth requires the movement of goods. Trucks carry more than 70% of the nation’s freight on both a tonnage and value basis—at some point on their way from manufacturer to consumer, virtually all goods travel by truck. The movement of goods requires energy, and medium- and heavy-duty trucks (Class 3-8) consume 25% of annual vehicle fuel use, despite comprising only 4% of the total number of U.S. on-road vehicles. Off-road vehicles account for 8% of the total energy consumed in the U.S. transportation sector and are used in key domestic industries, including construction, agriculture, and mining. Energy use by trucks is also growing. U.S. Energy Information Administration projections indicate that the freight truck sector’s annual vehicle miles traveled will increase by 54% by 2050.

View the full list of selections selections HERE.

Learn more about the Bioenergy Technologies Office, the Fuel Cell Technologies Office, and the Vehicle Technologies Office.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced on August 1 that the agency has issued the first 11 contracts as part of the Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust settlement.

Contracts are made with entities – mostly school districts – that have applied for funds from the trust and will use the money to replace aging diesel school buses, shuttle buses, or transit buses with new models. The contracts specify the funds each applicant will receive as part of the settlement, how they will use the money to achieve the goals of the VW Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for Texas, and requirements for receiving the funds.

Each contract will also include a commitment to operate new buses in one of the seven priority areas identified in the VW Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for Texas. The priority areas are areas monitoring ozone concentrations near or above the National Ambient Air Quality Standard.

The settlement is a result of litigation over emissions control defeat devices that were found to have been installed on vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen (VW) and its subsidiaries. Approximately 590,000 light-duty diesel vehicles in Texas were affected.

As part of settlement agreements, VW must pay approximately $2.9 billion into a trust to be distributed to each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Gov. Greg Abbott designated TCEQ the lead agency for the distribution of Texas’ portion of the settlement funds, which totals approximately $209 million.

These initial 11 contracts are awarded as follows:

• $5,704,160.70 to four entities in the Austin area;
• $5,945,993 to two entities in the San Antonio area;
• $1,391,480 to two school districts in the Houston area;
• $811,800 to two school districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; and,
• $729,073 to a school district in Bell County.

The TCEQ plans to issue up to $58.6 million in contracts to applicants who have applied for funds from the trust to repower or replace school buses, shuttle buses, or transit buses. This is the first of multiple grant rounds to spend the $209 million in settlement funds allocated to Texas.